Tue Sep 17, 2013 9:50 am
Prison Cell Locks
Gordon asked, in a different thread, to see some photos of some of the older prison locks that I have in my collection. 
It took a while to get these together, and I didn't have time to set up a proper camera/lighting rig for these... so I'll start with apologies for the cellphone pictures.
Anyhow... here's a size comparison of some of the keys next to a standard Schlage. These are large locks:
First up is an old S&G lock, originally in service in Leavenworth. It has a fairly compact key, relative to the other locks. The levers are all double-sprung, and have some heavy serrations to trap against the bolt stump as an anti-picking measure.
Next is an equally-old Yale lock, removed from service in the British Columbia Penitentiary when it closed in the 80's. Similar design to the Yale, but the anti-pick serrations are much less pronounced. This lock has a double-sided plug: it can be opened from either side (note the symmetric cuts on the key), and would have been used on an access door, rather than a cell.
Next is a (relatively) more modern Folger Adam Model 82, taken out of service in Salem; this was a major restoration effort that I'd posted a thread about earlier... the lock was heavily rusted, painted and beat up when it finally came out of service. Unlike the other two locks, these levers have only a single spring: it's more economical to produce, but slightly less reliable for locks that saw heavy service.
Finally, something a bit different: a much more modern Folger Adam. This lock is based on the Model 80 lock body, but uses a pin-tumbler mogul cylinder:
Just to give some size comparison, these are huge cylinders:
What's particularly interesting is that they've kept all of the internals of the lever version of the lock the same:
To interface with the cylinder, they simply mill down the standard plug and cut a slot in the top:
...and the slot interfaces with the strangest "tailpiece" I've ever seen in a production lock: a pair of screws are tapped into the rear of the mogul cylinder plug.
Some of these are likely very familiar to folks, but hopefully there's something interesting/new there.
It took a while to get these together, and I didn't have time to set up a proper camera/lighting rig for these... so I'll start with apologies for the cellphone pictures.Anyhow... here's a size comparison of some of the keys next to a standard Schlage. These are large locks:
First up is an old S&G lock, originally in service in Leavenworth. It has a fairly compact key, relative to the other locks. The levers are all double-sprung, and have some heavy serrations to trap against the bolt stump as an anti-picking measure.
Next is an equally-old Yale lock, removed from service in the British Columbia Penitentiary when it closed in the 80's. Similar design to the Yale, but the anti-pick serrations are much less pronounced. This lock has a double-sided plug: it can be opened from either side (note the symmetric cuts on the key), and would have been used on an access door, rather than a cell.
Next is a (relatively) more modern Folger Adam Model 82, taken out of service in Salem; this was a major restoration effort that I'd posted a thread about earlier... the lock was heavily rusted, painted and beat up when it finally came out of service. Unlike the other two locks, these levers have only a single spring: it's more economical to produce, but slightly less reliable for locks that saw heavy service.
Finally, something a bit different: a much more modern Folger Adam. This lock is based on the Model 80 lock body, but uses a pin-tumbler mogul cylinder:
Just to give some size comparison, these are huge cylinders:
What's particularly interesting is that they've kept all of the internals of the lever version of the lock the same:
To interface with the cylinder, they simply mill down the standard plug and cut a slot in the top:
...and the slot interfaces with the strangest "tailpiece" I've ever seen in a production lock: a pair of screws are tapped into the rear of the mogul cylinder plug.
Some of these are likely very familiar to folks, but hopefully there's something interesting/new there.
